It is now common for movable barriers to include a movable barrier assembly that is remotely operated so that a movable barrier, such as a garage door, may be opened and closed via use of a remote control. This configuration is common in households throughout the United States, and many single-family homes include a garage space with a movable barrier assembly.
Often, garage spaces are not only used to store vehicles, but also as extra storage spaces, hobby or work spaces, and even used as personal gym space to store and utilize gym equipment. Due to the variety of uses that garage spaces are commonly utilized for, it is often desirable to have the garage door open while the space is in use. For example, an individual performing automotive work on their vehicle may desire to leave the door open so that the vehicle may be turned on and off during reparations or modification to the vehicle—so as to prevent harmful fumes from accumulating inside the garage. Similarly, a hobbyist painting or working on a project, or an individual working on their exercise routine, may desire to leave the garage door open to provide ventilation during their activity inside the garage. Sometimes, an individual organizing or storing items in their garage may find it desirable to facilitate ventilation by leaving the garage door open.
One problem is that leaving the garage door open often allows debris to enter the garage space. This is particularly true on cool spring or summer days that may be windy. Unfortunately, cool windy days are often those days during which working out of or inside a garage is particularly desirable.
A similar problem arises with regards to neighborhood animals such as pets or small animals that may wander into a family home via an opened garage. Naturally, a person using their garage may simply close the garage door when they leave momentarily, but this often proves to be a hassle and residents using the garage often opt to leave the garage door open momentarily rather than close it while they go inside.
Another similar problem arises out of concern for safety. Often, even if an individual feels comfortable working out of their garage with the garage door open, leaving the garage opened and unattended is typically an undesirable concern, as opened garage doors are known to invite vandals.
To address some of these problems, several attempts have been made to provide structures, devices, or components that may be affixed to or implemented with a movable barrier, such as a garage door or garage entry, in order to provide a screened entry. However, the problem with such devices is that they tend to be cumbersome to use, must be manually operated, and or are not easily controlled in the same manner that a typical garage door may be operated—such as via remote control.
Due to these limitations with prior art movable barriers, the need for providing a screen door to a garage entry has not been adequately addressed.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a movable barrier assembly that includes a screen garage door that may be remotely operated to open and close an entry to a garage, thereby facilitating ventilation, preventing debris such as leaves, insects, etc. from entering the garage, and offering some measure of security by discouraging unwanted visitors. It is to these ends that the present invention has been developed.